Catnip-ball.



W. E. SMITH.

GATNIP BALL.

APPLICATION IILBD AUG. 31, 190B.

Patented Apr. 2, 1912.

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WALTER E. SMITH, 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 CHARLES C. ROGERS, OF WINCHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

CATNIP-BALL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led August 31, 1908.

Patented Apr. 2, 1912.

Serial No. 450,948.

To all whom it may Concern:

Be it known that I, VALTER E. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Boston, County of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Catnip-Balls, of which the following description, in Connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like letters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention has for its object to provide a novel Catnip ball toy for Cats. Y

Catnip balls have heretofore been made in the form of a hollow perforated ball, the interior chamber of which is filled with or contains Catnip or some other similar material. These balls have usually been made of wood or some other hard material, but such Catnip balls are sometimes objected to not only because they make more or less noise as they are rolled about by a Cat on a bare floor, but also because they are liable to injure nice furniture if they are rolled or thrown against the legs thereof. Moreover the cat-nip or other herbs within the ball are liable to become pulverized sufficiently so that it will sift out through the perfor-ations in the ball.

My present invention aims to provide a novel Catnip ball which can be played with by a cat without making any appreciable noise and without any danger of injuring furniture, and which is so made that the Catnip therein Cannot be distributed over the floor.

y,I accomplish these objects by making the ba'll either partially or wholly of Catnip Compound, all as will be more fully hereinafter described and pointed out in the Claims.

Referring to the drawings wherein l have shown some embodiments of my invention, Figure 1 is a general view of a catnip ball made in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is a section on the line .cc-m, Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a sectional view of another Catnip ball embodying the invention; Fig. 4 is a sectional view of still another Catnip ball embodying the invention.

My improved Catnip ball is made either partially or entirely of a Catnip Compound. This compound may be Composed of various ingredients besides the Catnip Or its substitute, but I will preferably use some neutral or inert material or materials which give body to the ball and act as a binder to retain the Catnip iu the mass, but do not destroy or deteriorate the odor of the Catnip. There are a great variety of substances which are suitable for this purpose, and as an illustration I would refer to wood pulp, or paper pulp. A suitable Catnip Compound can be made by mixing a proper quantity of Catnip with a quantity of the wood or paper pulp. Such a Compound has the ad` vantage that it Can readily be molded into the desired shape, and when dry it will retain such shape, and is light and sufficiently pliable or resilient so that a ball made thereof will not make any appreciable noise when rolled about, and will not injure any polished furniture. It may be desirable sometimes to add a little glue, Cementor other Cementitious substance to the Compound. As stated above the ball may be made either partially or entirely of this Catnip Compound, the essential thing being that some at least of the exterior surface ofthe ball should be Covered with or formed by this Compound so that the Cat will always be able' to get the odor or taste or both of the Catnip.

In Fig. 1 I have shown a Catnip ball which has its entire surface formed of a suitable Catnip compound 3. Such a Catnip ball may be made entirely of the Compound 3 as shown in Fig. 2, or it may be provided with a Core 4: of wood, rubber or some other suitable material, and an exterior Coating 5 of the Catnip Compound 3, as shown in Fig. The Coating 5 may be of any desired thickness, and my invention would not be departed from if the Catnip Compound was made in the form of a liquid with which the Core 4 was painted or other wisc Coated.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a Catnip ball embodying my invention which has a portion only of its surface formed of the Catnip Compound. In this elubodiment the body 6 of the ball, which is made of wood, rubber, papier-mch, wood pulp pressed into shape, or any other suitable material, is formed with one or more recesses 7 which are lilled with the Catnip Compound 3 whereby a portion of the exterior surface of the ball is formed of the Catnip Compound and the remaining portion of the exterior` surface is of the material which composes the body of the ball.

The Catnip compound may be incorporated in the ball in many other ways with` out departing from the invention. Neither would my invention be departed from if the catnip compound contained other herbs than catnip, it only being necessary that some. herb shall be used the odor of Which is attractive to cats.

l/Vhile I prefer to make the device in the form of a ball because a toy of such a shape is easier for a cat to play with, yet this is not essential and the device may be of any desired shape Without departing` from the invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A toy for cats comprising a body adapted to roll and having a portion at least of its exposed exterior surface formed of a moldable compound made of catnip material and Wood pulp intimately mixed together.

2. A toy for cats presenting` a spherical body having a portion at least of its eXterior surface formed of a compound comprising catnip material, and a binder of a character that does not affect either the odor or the taste of the cat-nip and which when hardened Will preserve the shape of the toy.

3. Ar device of the class described presenting a body having a portion at least of its exterior surface formed of a moldable catnip compound Which When dry has sul'lilcient cohesive properties to maint-ain its molded shape.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specilication, in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

WALTER E. SMTH. l/Vitnesses:

LoUIs C. SMITH, THOMAS J. DRUMMOND.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

